Roofing and packing nail



Nov. 16, 1943. A J GRAY 2,334,406

ROOFING AND PACKING NAIL Filed Feb. 27, 1.942

Zhwentor Arthur JGray Patented Nov. 16, 1943 ROOFING AND PACKING NAIL Arthur J. Gray, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Crescent Brass & Pin Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 27, 1942, Serial No. 432,661

3 Claims.

This invention relates to nails and particularly nails having large sheet metal heads and thus especially suited for attaching sheet material such as roofing or siding sheets to a building or other structure. The present disclosure may be considered as an improvement upon the subject matter of Patent Number 2,048,093, issued July 21. 1936, to J. C. Alpeters.

An object of the invention is to adapt sheet 'cape of the shank from any member into which it is driven.

The modification disclosed by Figs. 3 and 4 differs from the construction already described only in having the corners of the head la cut away to reduce the possibility of their becoming upwardly bent and thus detracting from the sealing effect of the head.

In the further modified form of the invention metal heads of nails to be stamped from strip shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the corners are downmaterial without appreciable waste. wardly be to form triangular prongs 1 which Another object is to adapt marginal portions will embed themselves in the material against of a sheet metal nail head to form prongs which Which the head is to seat. This provision afwill assist materially in assuring a sealing confords very positive assurance that the head will tact of the periphery of such a, h ad wit m seat tightly throughout its intended seating area. t a against which t head t In either of its first and last described forms, A further object; i t adapt t sh t metal the nail head may be struck from strip material e d of a n to at und a, strong spring with complete avoidance of waste, and such waste stress derived from a central portion of said head, as is involved by the construction shown in Figs. while providing a considerable seating area pe- 3 and 4 is trivial. ripherally of said head. Several important advantages accrue from up- These and various other objects are attained W rd y dishing the central portion of the square by the construction hereinafter described and Substantially Square d, n e ch of the deihustmted i t accompanying dra i wherescribed variations of the invention. Any likeliin: hood of the head being bent by a hammer blow Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a nail, showing one is practically eliminated due to the powerful reof the various forms in which the improvement inforcing effect of the dished Center p i nmay b prflcticei Possibility of the head being bent or the shank Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same. bein tilted by e ess use Of a hammer is de- 3 is a top plan View of the nail in a slightly 3U creased by the raised portion since such portion modified form. naturally tends to receive and center the blow. Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the nail Fu he the dishe D 011 fo p t Whe e- Shown in Fig 3 in enlargement 4 is located so that latter has Fi -5 is a top plan view of the improved nail no tendency to p t the head seating firmly in afurther modified form throughout its intended area. Finally, th up- Fig. 6 is a side view of the last-mentioned nail. Wardly hed p tion is sufliciently flattened by 7 is a top plan View of a f rth diflca the final blow or blows applied to the head to m set up a considerable resilient stress urging the Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the nail margin of the head htly against the material shown in Fig seatmg such margin. It is to be noted that it In these views, the reference character I deswould not be feaslble.to p prongs by i ignates a nail head consisting of a square sheet down comet's as m Figs 5 and 6 were 11; not metal plate having a central circular portion 2 for the v tal reinforcement of the head effected by the dished portion 2b. In other words prodlshed slightly upward Said head lspenjomny vision of the prongs without the reinforcement perforated and inserted in the perforation is the would, at 16 ast in many instances, result merely upper end 01: a shank 3 formed of wire or he in an upward flexing or bending of the corner like. To rigidly secure the head to the shank portions of the head upon impact of the prongs the latter is upset below the head to form a sl1ght with the surface into which the nail is driven. annular enlargement 4, and the shank end is I The construction shown in Figs 7 and 8 is riveted down upon the top face of the head as indicated at 5. It is preferred to form the shank with numerous nicks 6 spaced lengthwise and also circumferentially of the shank, these serving to materially increase the resistance to essimilar to that of Figs. 3 and 4 in that the corner portions of the head are clipped off, but differs from Figs. 3 and 4 in omission of the dished portion 2a.. For certain purposes, such omission would be feasible, particularly if the head be formed of quite stii! metal capable of resisting considerable bending stresses.

As distinguished from the nail shown by Alpeters patent hereinbeiore identified, the improved nail not only eliminates waste incident to use of a circular head (the resultant saving amounting to 17% of sheet material required for the Alpeters nail), but further provides a materially increased seating area for the head, eliminating the sharp marginal edge oi. Alpeters together with the cutting action which such edge may exercise on relatively soft material. Any shearing effect due to drivingthe head of the improved nail firmly against a surface is prohibited by the considerable marginal seating area.

It will be readily appreciated that it is highlydesirable to safeguard a nail serving the intended purpose from any seepage of liquid under the head.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as come within the scope oi the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A nail comprising a shank pointed at one end and a sheet metal head mounted rigidly and substantially at its center on the other end 0! said shank. said head having a substantially circular upwardly dished portion coaxial with said shank and being formed at its margin with a plurality of prongs bent in the direction in which the shank extends to form prongs ior entering material into which the nail is driven.

2. A nail comprising a shank pointed at one end, and a substantially square sheet metal head mounted rigidly and substantially at its center on the other end of said shank, said head having a reinforced circular center portion and having its comers bent'in the direct on in which the shank extends to form prongs for entering material into which the nail is driven.

3. A nail comprising a shank pointed at one end and a substantially square sheet metal head mounted rigidly and substantially at its center on the other end of said shank, said head having an upwardly dished, substantially circular center portion, spaced materially inwardly from the margin of said head, and having a plane seating area between such margin and center portion, and having its corners bent in the direction in which the shank extends to form prongs for en- 25 tering material into which the nail is driven.

ARTHUR J. GRAY. 

